DFMPro for high-tech industry

The client, a world leader in R&D, design, and manufacturing of high tech equipment, had to meet the challenges of increasing its order fulfillment rate while reducing costs to address the vigorous competition from foreign suppliers, who offered equipment at substantially lower prices. Minimizing equipment breakdowns and improving uptime while increasing capacity to meet high order volume were also pressing needs.

The manufacturer implemented DFMPro to improve the design-for-manufacture process by identifying and correcting downstream issues early in the design stage. Designs were also standardized for the manufacturing review process, thereby minimizing rework and iterations. As a result, the client achieved an estimated part cost savings of over USD 3 million in a year.

Case Highlights

• The Client

  A world leader in R&D, design, and manufacturing of high-tech equipment

• Challenge

  In order to stay competitive, this client, a world leader in R&D, design, and manufacturing of high tech equipment, wanted to cut costs in the face of aggressive overseas competition. Minimizing equipment breakdowns, improving uptime, and increasing order fulfillment times were also priorities. As well, given the highly complex and innovative nature of the business, the client relied heavily on only a few suppliers for incoming parts. Dependency on these suppliers, who were already at maximum capacity, led to risks such as limited control on part costs and production ramp-up.

  Further, frequent design changes occurring at late stages of manufacturing increased lead time and impacted product quality, causing a ripple effect on client dissatisfaction.

  • Minimize equipment failure and breakdown during operations
  • Improveorder fulfillment time by reducing design rework and iterations
  • Minimize part costs and reduce dependence on few suppliers

• Solution: Implement DFMPro to automate an efficient DFM Process

  A diagnostic study revealed that a poor design-for-manufacturability (DFM) review process was leading to increased engineering changes, which led to the inability to deliver timely orders and control costs. It was clear that an efficient DFM process was required. To address this, the client chose DFMPro, CAD-integrated DFM software that helps identify and correct downstream issues early in the design stage, and standardize the client’s designs for the manufacturing review process, thereby minimizing expensive rework and design iterations.

  DFMPro analysis revealed small but critical design for manufacturability issues. These included instances such as inadequate wall thickness or misaligned slots inside holes that caused stress during operations and led to equipment breakdown and longer downtime. Before DFMPro was implemented, the client was unable to detect these kinds of problems until the equipment was shipped to customers.

  DFMPro analysis provided the client with:

  • Identification of standard design feature modifications made by suppliers, such as tight tolerances, thin walls, sharp corners and incorrect side radii, all of which required special manufacturing processes that increased the costs of parts and led to supplier lock-in issues
  • Design rules such as standard hole sizes, wall thickness check, and standard tube sizes to address downstream manufacturing, serviceability, and quality issues upfront
  • Specificguidelines to standardize design and address supplier lock-in issues
  • A formalized and automated design review process to ensure all design parameters that contributed to product quality and manufacturing problems were addressed and corrected early in the design stage

• Benefits

  DFMPro not only helped the client reduce manufacturing costs, but also helped determine the causes of equipment failure during operations, resulting in higher uptimes and improved customer satisfaction.

  • The client achieved an estimated part cost savings of over USD 3 million in a year by identifying and addressing inadequate design features that increased equipment downtime costs and manufacturing costs
  • Client specific and supplier specific guidelines were created in DFMPro to standardize design and address supplier lock-in issues
  • DFMPro automated the design review process and increased the productivity of design engineers, and its design standardization reduced dependency on single supplier and order fulfillment slippage